Three Best Windows 11 Widgets You’re Not Using

By Lloyd Ingram Updated May 1, 2025

Quick Tips

There’s a workaround app called Widget Launcher that will allow you to place widgets on the desktop.
Widgets can bypass the need to search for dedicated apps when you need to finish tasks or keep up with news or calendar events.
The Microsoft Store contains a solid selection of widgets and the paid ones typically do more than the default version.

When Windows 11 came out, it streamlined the existing widgets into an easy-to-view screen with a dedicated taskbar icon. With it came more widgets that allow you to connect your PC to different services and streamline your work.

But what are some of the best Windows 11 widgets that you shouldn’t do without? Read on to find out.

The stock Windows 11 calendar leaves a bit to be desired, as it leads to the notifications section rather than the calendar itself. Surprisingly, Microsoft doesn’t actually include a decent calendar widget to replace it.

Instead, you get two distinct options.

The first is Calendar Flyout. It allows you to integrate your personal calendar on the widget screen, which will then automatically keep track of your agenda. The app can integrate with Microsoft and Google accounts alike, so you can effectively merge your phone’s calendar into the PC calendar, too.

Calendar Flyout also comes with its own icon in the taskbar so you can manually edit various entries.

While Calendar Flyout isn’t entirely free, its relatively low price makes it more than worth it if you want an easy-to-use calendar app that bypasses Outlook.

Alternatively, you can use a workaround to get the stock Windows 11 calendar to show up on the desktop. However, this is done through an entirely different app, Widget Launcher.

You can also integrate third-party apps like the Calendar Flyout with it, bringing your full agenda to the desktop. With it, you can make Windows 11 look a bit more like Windows 7 with all of the small widgets stuck to the edges of the desktop.

2. Note-Taking With Note Sidebar

How do you take your notes? If the answer is Notion or another third-party integration, then you probably know how great those apps are. But they all require going into the app, writing something down, and then staying on top of it.

When you just need to make a quick writeup of something so you don’t forget it later, you can use the Windows 11 Note Sidebar. It distills note-taking to its bare essentials, pinning a simple note text box to the widget panel that you can load stuff in and out of. The Note Sidebar widget itself is a part of a dedicated app, which is available for Microsoft Surface devices, allowing you to sync the notes between them. But even without that option, it’s a nifty, and more importantly free, tool to have at your disposal.

3. Phone Link

If you need to keep your PC synced to your mobile phone, look no further than Phone Link. This is a stock Windows 11 widget, which you can enable by going through the customization option on the widget screen.

Once active, you can set up your Android or iOS device to sync notifications, calls, or messages to the PC. You’ll need to log into your Microsoft account, then you’ll get a QR code to scan with your phone to complete the process. After that, you get almost limitless control over your phone straight from the PC, including porting over photos quicker than ever.